


I Always Stumble Back to You

by minkybookworm



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Ambiguous Gender Reader, Before the Events of the Game, Non-Graphic Violence, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Vanderwood, Other, Reader Is Not MC, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, Spies & Secret Agents, i think???? i haven't written slow burn before, spy romance, they love each other but cOnFliCt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-05 20:59:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11021496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minkybookworm/pseuds/minkybookworm
Summary: Vanderwood and you shouldn't be together. You can't. You gave yourselves up to the agency and trying to build a normal relationship would be stupid (and probably deadly). But that didn't stop the two of you from developing feelings all those years ago when you met.Now it's been years since you've last seen each other. You and Vanderwood have been pushing those feelings down until they became dormant. The both of you would rather not see each other, but there's a mission to do. Just get the job done and never see each other again.  You guys did it once, you can do it again.Right?





	I Always Stumble Back to You

**Author's Note:**

> I started this at the beginning of summer. Hopefully I can finish it before the end of summer. It's been really fun to write this, since I've never tried out spies. I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> Vanderwood uses they/them 
> 
> Stay lovely <3

Vanderwood

Vanderwood sighed as they walked into the building’s parking lot. The lights flickered on and off,  like a scene stolen from a horror movie. Which is the last thing someone wants to be thinking about on the way to meet their boss, who would kill someone if he thought they had cheated in a Monopoly game.

They wondered briefly if normal people felt this way when they went to their bosses. Did they also have a pit in their stomach? Did they wonder if they were about to be fired? (Although Vanderwood was sure that they didn’t worry about a gun being fired) What else did they feel? Those people probably imagined the fights that would erupt at home because of the job loss. Vanderwood shook their head with a smile. At least they didn’t need to worry about a family.

Vanderwood spotted the black SUV and slipped into the back seat. “So boss, what’s the nex-” They froze when they looked into the next seat.

A stoic face with subtle (but perfectly precise) makeup stared back at the stumbling agent. Her crimson hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her name was Emilia; she was the daughter of the head of the agency, just as cunning as him and more ruthless. Vanderwood had heard many stories of her making agents disappear, even managing to keep the truth away from her father about what really happened to them. She tapped her fingers against her phone for a moment before huffing. “Are you going to say anything or just freeze up like a teenager giving a speech?” she snapped.

Vanderwood shook their head. “Sorry ma’am, I just wasn’t expecting you to be the one to give me my assignment.” They put their hand out, and she shook it curtly.

“You could say that I’m shoving you out of Little League missions and putting you straight into the Major Leagues,” she said, “We have an important client, and I want you to work this mission,”

“What is it?”

She stared at them for a moment; amusement flicked in her eyes before it was hidden behind trained stoicness. “The client is the head of Endroid,”

“Seriously?” Vanderwood asked before they could think better of it. Endroid was one of the most prominent technology companies.

“The agency has more power than you’d think,” she smiled, “He’s sure that his rival is coming up with some _amazing_  technology, and he wants to make sure his reputation for being the best isn’t challenged. You and your team will spy on his rival, if there is new tech, you’ll give copies to the client, if there isn’t, find blackmail material. It’s simple, really,”

“My team?” They raised their eyebrows.

“Since you are spying on a tech company, you’ll be bringing that young agent you helped train last month, 707-”

“Him? With all due respect, I don’t think he is anywhere close to the maturity we need to pull this off,” Vanderwood said.

“And with all due respect, _I_ think he’s ready.” She raised her eyebrows, waiting for more protest. When she had none, Emilia continued, “We’re also pairing you up with another agent, L/N, you trained with them, correct?”

Vanderwood grew cold at the mention of their name. Flashes of memories Vanderwood had managed to bury forcing their way up to the surface. “That’s correct. But we haven’t seen in each since training,”

“You’ll do fine,” she muttered as her phone vibrated. She checked the message before turning back to the agent. “Do you have any questions?”

“No.”

“Good. Go to this hotel tomorrow, the rest of your team will be there when you do. More information will be in the room. My number will be there in case there are any problems,” she said and handed them a card, “Now get out. I have business I need to attend to,”

Vanderwood tried to subtly scramble out of the car. They rushed out of the parking lot and into their ruby car. They ran their hand down their face and groaned. After a moment of self-loathing, they started the car.

“This is going to be a shit show,” they muttered as they began driving.

 

 

* * *

 

Vanderwood groaned with their eyes closed as they walked back into the dorm after sparring. They could only imagine how bad they looked and smelled from the sweat. They went to pull off their muscle shirt, ready to take a showe-

“Hi,” a voice piped up behind them.

Vanderwood froze, letting their shirt fall back into place, and turned around. There was a person sitting in the bed that had been empty ever since Vanderwood had been recruited to the agency. They were wearing a gray sweatshirt with the agency’s logo on it. Vanderwood couldn’t help but be reminded of a puppy in a new place as they watched them.

After a few moments of silence, they piped up again. “Hi, I’m Y/N, your new roommate,”

“Did you just get here?” They asked, leaning against the wall.

Y/N nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t even know agencies like this existed outside of movies until a week ago,” they laughed, “What’s your name?”

“Vanderwood,” they muttered before turning around and heading into the bathroom and shutting the door.

Y/N opened their mouth to say something before closing it, sighing, and leaning back against the wall. “Nice to meet you too, Vanderwood,” they muttered with a glare and frown.

* * *

 

You.

You were sitting down on the park bench. You were glad that you always got your missions here. There were large trees that provided shade, which complimented the breeze at that moment. There was a group of teenagers a few feet away; they were laughing about something. You shook your head with a smile. When you were their age, you and your friends were figuring out the best way to assassinate someone.

The clacking of high heels broke the silence, making you stiffen, before a woman sat down at the same bench. You scrunched up your eyebrows as you stared forward. You almost always got your missions from the same guy. You cleared your throat, turning towards her. You struggled to find the words. “Emilia,” you fidgeted, “Why are you the one giving me my assignment?”

“This one’s too important to have some underling handle it.” She turned her body towards you. “So I’m the one handling it.”

“What is it?”

“The Endroid client-” She waited for you to nod. “-He wants us to get some information about his rival company, the PineApples company,”

You nodded with an amused smile. “Endroid’s too important of a client to risk messing this one up,”

“Precisely,” she said with her own smile. “You’re on the case since you know Endroid. Vanderwood and 707 are going to be working with you on this one,”

You tensed up at Vanderwood’s name but forced yourself to keep quiet. “I don’t think I know 707,”

“He’s one of our new recruits, incredibly talented  if I’m being honest. His main strengths are computers and undercover work, since computer security could be a problem with a tech company, I’m making this his first A-list mission,”

You nodded. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

Emilia reached into her purse and handed you a manilla folder. “We got these documents from the client. My number’s in there in case you need anything else.” She stood up and stalked off. High heels clacking with every step.

You sighed and fidgeted with the folder as the silence returned, but this time it felt like it was mocking you. A place so peaceful while you were contemplating the likelihood of some violent “accident” happening to you if you failed at this assignment. You gulped and tightened your grip on the folder as you kept yourself from running out of the park and into your car.


End file.
